NEW EXHIBITION October 1 - March 4, 2012 WARRIORS, TOMBS AND TEMPLES: CHINA`S ENDURING LEGACY Enter the great tombs and temples of the powerful, and the cunning men and women who ruled imperial China. Come explore three of the most formative dynasties in Chinese history. Newly excavated life-size terra cotta warriors protector of emperor Qin Shi Huangdi. The warriors are with painted garments and armor and the colors are clearly visible thanks to new conservation techniques Smaller in scale but equally impressive are the smiling terra cotta warriors from the imperial tomb compounds of Han emperors in combination with concubines, animals and a multitude of objects that insured a lavish and comfortable afterlife. Riches from the elite tombs from the Tang dynasty, many are tied to the trade of exotic goods along the Silk Road. Gold ornaments, tomb guardians, a mural depicting a game of polo and many other luxuries illustrate the taste of Tang elites and the era’s connection with the West. And, for the first time in the United States, come gold, silver and gemstone treasures deposited into the treasure-crypt of the Famen Monastery by six Tang Dynasty emperors and China’s only female emperor Wu Zetian (Wu Zhao) 624-705. This important Buddhist site, sealed in the Tang Dynasty 874 and rediscovered in 1987, was founded with the fragment of the historical Sakyamuni Buddha’s finger bone. Museum admission: Tues, Wed, Thurs – Adults $21 / Seniors (62+) & Students (18+) $14 / Children 6 – 17 $12 / Children under 6 – Free Fri, Sat, Sun - Adults $23 / Seniors (62+) & Students (18+) $19 / Children 6 – 17 $14 / Children under 6 – Free